1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to power tools for use in trimming plant growth from the vicinity of sprinkler heads, and more particularly to a portable power tool mounted on a frame, and adapted to respond to a positioning thereof in an operative relationship with a sprinkler head for removing plant growth and debris from the peripheral zone of the head.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art, of course, is replete with power tools, often referred to as edgers, particularly suited for use in trimming or manicuring lawns. Often, such tools include rotary blades which can be positioned in a multiplicity of planes and driven in rotation for uniformly and closely trimming plant growth and/or removing dirt and other debris in order to impart to a given lawn a neatly manicured appearance.
As can be appreciated by those familiar with lawn care, it is common practice to employ sprinkler systems for purposes of irrigating lawns at predetermined intervals, in order to enhance plant growth. Frequently, the systems so employed are buried beneath the surface of the lawn and, therefore, are herein referred to as subterranean sprinkler systems. These systems include uniformly spaced, upstanding sprinkler heads which serve to deliver water, and/or other fluids, to the lawn in predetermined spray patterns in order to assure that proper coverage of the lawn is achieved. The sprinkler heads frequently are positioned at or close to ground level in order to accommodate passage thereover of mowers and the like. Unfortunately, there is a tendency for lawn grass and other plant growth to grow into a shielding pattern about sprinkler heads so that resulting spray patterns are interrupted by the upstanding grass. Thus a loss in efficiency of the system is experienced and the overall appearance of the lawn is impaired.
Attempts have been made to solve this problem in many ways. For example, one technique is to utilize so-called pop-up sprinklers which are positioned below but rise above the level of adjacent plant growth, when operated in order to assure that proper coverage is achieved and yet accommodate passage of a mower. While this solution has many desirable attributes, it does not provide a totally satisfactory solution. For example, after such sprinkler heads have been in operation for some time, difficulty frequently is encountered in their operation, due to fouling resulting from the presence of aggregate and the like within the line. Consequently, it has been found that the most practical approach to the problem is to position conventional sprinkler heads at levels which permit mowers to be passed thereover, thus requiring hand-trimming of the grass in the immediate vicinity of the sprinkler head. Such operations are both tedious and expensive.
As should be apparent, in view of the foregoing, there currently exists a need for a practical, and economic, manually operable power tool which readily can be utilized in removing plant growth and debris from the peripheral zones of suitably positioned, upstanding sprinkler heads for subterranean sprinkler systems, without impairing the operation of the sprinkler heads for their intended purposes.
It is, therefore, the general purpose of the instant invention to provide a practical and economic manually operable power tool particularly suited for use in removing plant growth and debris from the peripheral zones of upstanding sprinkler heads for subterranean sprinkler systems.